Press release

Land-of-Sky Regional Council’s Family Caregiver Support Program is partnering with aging and community service providers to host Fun Friday for Family Caregivers at Fletcher Calvary Episcopal Church from 10:00am to 2:00 pm on Fri November 9th. They invite all family caregivers to attend this free event and join other caregivers for a day filled with laughter and fun. Lunch will be provided. Contact Family Caregiver Specialist Carol McLimans at 828-251-7439 for additional information.

November is National Family Caregivers Month

Family caregivers provide the lion’s share of care and support for those with chronic care needs – approximately $450 billion of unpaid care each year.
Day in and day out, more than 65 million family caregivers in this country provide care for a frail older adult, disabled child or disabled younger adult. Family caregivers are the unacknowledged backbone of the nation’s long-term care system providing 80% of long-term care.  They provide daily assistance to manage health care and personal care, while enabling their loved ones to stay in the community longer. 

The theme for National Family Caregivers Month 2012 is
“Family Caregivers Matter!”

Family caregivers are the only people who are consistently present with their loved ones across all care settings.  Everyone else can and does change.  People with chronic conditions may have multiple doctors.  Nurses change shifts in hospitals.  Even pharmacists change locations.  But family caregivers are there as full partners with their loved ones through it all. 

That’s why National Family Caregivers Month is the ideal time to recognize that family caregivers really do matter!